Foreign territories
by Midnight-mist-87
Summary: [FINISHED!] While Ash is busy in a tournament in Pewter City, Misty decides to take a stroll to kill time. Little does she know how to get around Pewter, so when she gets lost and meets someone unexpected, what will happen? [Gary&Misty] R&R!
1. The Booze

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**_Foreign territories._****__**

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**Summary:** While Ash is busy in a tournament in Pewter City, Misty decides to take a stroll on her own to kill some time. Little does she know how to get around Pewter, so when she gets lost and meets someone unexpected, what will happen?

Story is Egoshippy. This means, The pairing is Gary&Misty. As a warning, those who can't digest the couple, I suggest you not to read this. No flames, you have been warned. Constructive criticism is more than allowed! )

**Important Author's note:**

Do NOT relate these characterizations of Gary and Misty to the ones in Pumpkin Fights. I like to try different takes on these two characters, so now they're different, But still try to be loyal with the obvious parts. Also, If Pumpkin fights could be classified with a little of humor, Forgein territories is not so much with the humor. XD I like to spice things up once in a while, try different things. Otherwise, the same all the time would be kinda boring, huh?

Ages:

Misty: 18

Gary: 18

Ash: 17

Brock: 20

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**Chapter 1: "The booze"**

It had been a surprise to them all to hear that the next tournament was going to be held in Pewter. Brock was thrilled; of course, he got a chance to meet up with his family, his father, and his little brothers and could catch up with them. They had been all growing fast, as any child that age would, and the oldest one was so tall he was almost Ash's height.

It was the tryouts for the tournament, which was very exclusive, and it was that particular reason why it was so prestigious to enter. Brock decided to spend his stay in Pewter with his family, and as Misty and Ash were waiting in the long line of trainers outside the tournament coliseum they started to miss his oldest friend to fill in the voids in their conversation.

The sun was blaring, and Misty was idly holding Togepi in her arms. Up ahead, a tall guard was requesting every competing trainer's ID. He quickly made his way to Ash and Misty. "ID" He stated, as impersonal as a security guard could be. Misty idly wondered where Officer Jenny was.

Ash reacted just in time to avoid some serious glaring from the impatient guard that Misty already didn't like. He reached out and pulled out his Pokedex from his bag. The guard practically snatched it and ran it through the scanner, typing something on his device. Misty sweatdropped, uncomfortable, but he soon returned the pokedex to a perplexed Ash and continued on Misty "ID" He repeated, a little huffed.

Misty shook her head. "Oh I'm not enteri—"

He interrupted her "Only competing trainers can enter"

Misty raised her eyebrows. "But I'm with—"

"Only competing trainers can enter the faculty"

Misty glanced back at Ash. _'Gees, what is this guy, a robot?' _She rolled her eyes, annoying the guard even further. "Guess It's my cue to leave then" Ash sweatdropped as the guard continued along the line, checking pokedexes. "Sorry Mist" He said sheepishly, he was really sorry as well, Misty was his best friend after all, and he had wanted her to be there. Misty sighed. "I guess I'll see ya later at the gym"

Ash did a thumb up as he usually did "You won't see _me_, you'll see a tournament-participant!" He cheered as Misty laughed. "Good luck". Ash smiled and waved as she stepped out of the line and watched the other trainers move a spot ahead. The line was huge and everyone was eager to start, and Ash in the last half, so she assumed it would take more than just a while. Sighing, she cradled Togepi and turned around. The thought of returning to the gym was disregarded as soon as she decided to give Brock some more family time. She would only be a bother there anyway.

"Pewter, here I come!" She said to herself triumphal, as if killing time had just become some legendary quest.

It was going to be a fun day.

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Pewter had grown so much since the last time they had visited; there were so many monuments, buildings, blocks, statues, fountains she did not recognize. As a little girl, she knew her way around Pewter very well, not as well as she knew Cerulean, but since the two cities were near, she spent some of her weekends in Pewter, and with no friends there, not even knowing about Brock's existence, she used to roam around aimlessly, until she could lead any unfamiliar tourist around town.

Tourism was really picking up, hoards of people with shopping bags jostling through the crowd, running around, taking pictures, the city was really glowing now, and she smiled. Of course, it didn't last long.

She had been walking for at least an hour. Of course, Ash still had the city map, and she was flat out broke, and couldn't afford a new one. The day was starting to suck, and it really went down as she realized she was really, really lost. She couldn't remember the name of the street she was walking on, and it seemed a whole new neighbourhood. The tourist count was dimming down, and she could feel the sun dimming down. That meant it was a late afternoon, and she started to panic. Meeting dusk in a place you knew nothing about was still scary, even in a place as guarded as Pewter. Most of the police had gone to the tournament area, to stop riots and such, anyway.

"This day sucks!" She said to herself and would have slumped her shoulders if she hadn't been carrying Togepi, which was getting hungrier by the minute. Her eyes were scanning around for a Pokemon Center, But her luck had apparently run out, so she wasn't surprised when she found none.

_'Everyone Must know where the gym is, though'_ she thought. So giving up her reluctance to approach strangers she started to ask around. "Excuse me, sir, could you point me to—"

The stranger walked by her, without even noticing her presence. "Well, _that_ was rather rude" She said out loud. She sighed, turning around as another person walked near. "Sir, can you—" She felt some coins hit her on the head and realized the man had just thrown some coins at her. "I'm not a beggar you insensitive jerk!" She yelled after him, already fed up. The man seemed frightened for a moment and disturbed and only walked faster.

"Is there no one _nice_ in this city?" She said out loud, making the multitude only walk further away from her. The sun was dimming out, as the late afternoon was settling in, and Misty's heart started to race as she realised there were less people on the street. The more she walked forward, the more disoriented she was, and the less crowded streets made the alleys strangely creepy.

Togepi was starting to chirp, the more peckish it felt, Misty sighed in dismay, Togepi was only a baby pokemon and it needed to be fed. She cursed reprehending herself for not going to the gym in the first place and advanced down the street, slowing down with every step she took. She turned everywhere looking for someone. Anyone. But as she found the street empty she felt a vibe in the air that irked her out.

"A clerk!" She said smiling. "Of course!" The street was full of shops and restaurants, so she entered the nearest one, pushing the wooden door. Her shoes tapped against the wooden floor so loud it seemed hollow, and she shifter her arms around her pokemon protectively as the felt the thick air of cigarette smoke fill her lungs.

It was a restaurant, or a karaoke bar, or a mix of both things, It was a vast place, that reeked of food, cigarette, and alcohol, and she timidly walked forward. Noticing almost no waiter nor waitress, she headed for the bar.

"What's it gonna be" The barman asked as he saw her approach. Misty coughed. "I'm not looking to b—"

"Sorry Miss, Can't stay here If you don't buy"

She fumed. Did all the impolite and impatient people come together just to annoy her on that particular day? "What! I don't have any—"

"She's with me" A male voice said from a couple of meters beside her.

Her first reaction was to clench her fists and wonder why no one would let her finish her sentences, but as soon as she took in what the man that she hadn't noticed in the first place said, her head jerked to the side in utter disgust. She gaped.

"Gary!"

He smirked, charming as usual and nodded, acknowledging her presence. The barman raised an eyebrow and nodded his consent, leaving to attend some more costumers in the other corner of the bar. Misty pulled up a stool and sat, still surprised, and, she had to admit, she was relieved to see a friendly face. No, a… familiar, no. a… non-stranger around. "Gary thank god, I'm so lost"

Gary looked back and around the store groggily "Where's Ashy boy and the other tall guy?"

Misty paused. "Ash is in the tournament try outs, and Brock's in the Pewter gym"

Gary smirked bitterly. "Figured Ash would want to enter the tournament"

She tried not to look too desperate; she still had her pride after all, but she couldn't help sounding rushed. "You have to help me, It's gonna get dark soon, I'm lost, I have to get to the gym".

Gary seemed to space out and Misty frowned, Sure, she didn't know the guy much, but he seemed different. He finally stopped looking straight ahead and turned his head to face her. "Sure, I can drive you there"

She had never felt so relieved in her entire life. She let out a breath and felt a load lift from her shoulders, so she left Togepi in the barstool and smiled when she found a bowl of nuts that looked healthy enough. So she left it in the stool next to her and Togepi chirped happily munching away. "I owe you big time" She declared casually. She stood up but Gary remained seated, and she raised an expectant eyebrow. "Come on! Let's go".

Gary threw his head to one side unsure. "Yeah, I can't really drive you _now_"

Her eyes wavered in mistrust. "What! Why?"

He chuckled. "I don't think I can walk straight right now"

She remained silent trying to make sense of what he was saying, and took real notice of him. He was rather pale, his right hand was still clasping a small empty glass, and next to it, to the far right, which is why she didn't notice before, a half empty bottle of scotch. Her jaw dropped open. "Gary Oak, are you _drunk_?"

"No I'm not" He replied quickly.

"Yes you are"

"No I'm not"

"Yes you _are_"

"I am not"

"You are _too_!" She yelled back. The barman stared at them and shook his head at the display. Gary and Misty exchanged glares for a long moment as she sat back down in the stool and crossed her arms. Togepi chirped happily in the stool next to Misty, watching the argument. A tense moment of silence settled in between. Misty tried to suppress a cough, still affected by the cigarette smoke that was leaving a stench of smoke in her hair and clothes. Gary rolled his eyes and took the bottle, filling his glass again.

"Nah uh, Mister, No more drinking for you" She said trying to get the bottle of scotch; Gary pushed her back by taking a hold of her by the ribs. They struggled like that for a brief second until Misty realised she wasn't going to get anywhere like that and pushed Gary away, brushing her clothes. She was getting pissed off. "So I'm stuck here until you pass out, wake up, and sober up!"

Gary smirked, his usual smugness seeping through his eyes. "Yup, and I'm not even thinking of leaving until I finish this" He said raising the bottle. Misty sized it with her eyes and thanked god it wasn't a big bottle, it was a medium size, and the one to drink it wouldn't end up in an emergency room, at least.

However, her eyes glanced over and she looked at Gary. If looks could kill, a dagger would have actually come out of her iris and stabbed him to death. So she looked away, bitterly and looked back at him. She was mad, she was impatient, and she was seething. Looking at the bartender, she raised her arm.

"Bartender! An empty glass over here!" The serious tone of her voice made him comply immediately, and handed her a glass identical to the one in Gary's hand.

Gary looked at her in blatant scepticism. He arched an eyebrow silently mocking her. He didn't believe she was serious, but when she reached over to the bottle, filled up her glass, and drank it without blinking an eye, he was actually amazed. Feeling the alcohol burn in her throat she winced and wrinkled her face in disgust, amusing him. She wasn't very used to those kind of beverages, and the only parties she had been to that offered alcohol were Brock's 20th birthday, and she only could manage to keep light drinks up.

It was like a silent duel was on and she had just won round one.

As he snatched back the bottle and filled up his glass she mentally sighed.

It had been the longest day in her life, and the evening didn't look that much promising either.

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**Author's Note: **Ah, yes, a brand new egoshippy story.

The age limit for drinking in this fic is 18 years old, I do not condone underage drinking, by any means!

Also, this story will only have **3 chapters**, and hence, since I like cramming stories into short ones, XD Foreign territories will have semi-long chappies. Hope you like them. And for that, updating will take a bit more. But It's almost drafted entirely. I like to advance a lot before posting it up to diminish the chances of abandonment. XD

**Please review! **

I eat reviews at breakfast, and breakfast's the most important meal of the day! HeheThey keep me writing alright.

**Midnight**** Mist.**


	2. The Blues

**A/N: **Special thanks to Maia. You've been a doll. Your new fic brightened my day.

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**Chapter 2: "The Blues"**

"And then, he said; _I'm not gonna, this is my cubicle!_" He started to laugh, dropping his head forward, his brown hair gracing against the barstool. Misty almost spit out the scotch in her mouth in laughter. Sure, she had no idea what he had just said, and it was very possible he didn't either, but he was laughing, and it was contagious, so she was laughing, and soon people started to stare. She brushed her long hair out of her face and threw it on her back still giggling insanely.

As the laughter died down, she blinked "What's a cubicle?" She asked. Gary shrugged, and the hilarity ensued again, laughing almost at the top of their lungs, disrupting the peace of the quiet environment. The place was already clearing out; people were moving onto more bars, or night clubs.

Soon they fell quiet, but in a content mood. Her prior worries were nowhere near her conscious thoughts, so she was actually having a great time. It was already dark outside but she wasn't even worried anymore. The bottle was almost empty, and Gary served them both half a glass, the last of scotch, and tossed it away almost breaking it. "You can't hold your alcohol, woman" His words fell out of his mouth almost tripping with one another. He emitted a deep husky chuckle staring at the ground.

Misty tried to look up but her head felt immensely heavy. "You can't even talk right, man!" Her voice sounded extremely close to the stereotypical surfer of the west coast, and as much as she tried to appear sober, she couldn't, and she giggled again. Gary smirked. "You've only had two cups!"

Misty looked down at the half full glass and brought her to her lips, drinking it all at once. "Two and a half" She said, sounding more like 'tioo aaanahaff'.

They would have continued that way if the bartender hadn't sneezed

The sneeze changed everything. Gary heard wrong and asked out loud. "Did he just say pikachu?" Misty froze. The word Pikachu triggered everything in her mind as everything flooded right back to her, almost running her over. Pikachu. Pikachu reminded her of Ash. Ash, he was in the tournament, Tournament, gym, Brock, they must be worried sick about her and Toge…

She froze in the stool so much Gary actually worried and leaned over to study her. Her grip on the glass was so tight she actually cracked it. As afraid as someone could ever be, she turned her head to the stool on her left and felt a wave of panic to find it empty. Togepi. Togepi was missing. She didn't even notice before, but Togepi was missing.

He felt Gary's hand on her forehead, taking her temperature. "You okay there, Mist?"

Misty gasped, completely sobered up and grabbed Gary by the collar. "Togepi is gone!" She cried out, alarmed. Gary's first reaction was to notice the proximity of his face to hers, but it was shortly pondered. The panicked features on her face made him snap out of his drunken stupor. "What?" He asked, dumb folded.

But she was in a full neurotic mode. "Togepi! My baby pokemon, He could have been missing for so long, I didn't notice, how could I be so stupid not to notice, I'm the worst person in the entire world, this… Oh my god, Togepi's gone" She rambled on as Gary shook her lightly by the shoulders.

"Hey come on" He said softly, trying to calm her down. "We'll find him"

"Her" She corrected, almost in tears.

"We'll find her" He repeated, confident. "She couldn't have gone too far" He was far from confident, but his self-assured tone of voice, even if faked, managed to calm her down a little. She inhaled, and exhaled to keep her mind clear and shook her head to find her balance. The room was still shifty to her eyes, but it was slowly returning to normal.

They knew they were a pain in the ass for that restaurant; the customers must have left because of their constant laughter before, and now, them crawling around the place looking for the egg-shaped pokemon made the annoyance level climb even higher. Some customers asked for the bill and left, the others tried to put up with it, and only few actually felt sympathetic for them. Looking under tables, on every corner, on the stage—while someone was doing karaoke—behind the bar, Much to the barman's resistance, in the kitchen; much to the cook's dismay.

"I'm going to check the bathroom" Misty announced walking away. He turned around only to see her disappear behind the bathroom door. The door shut, a wooden sign on it spelling 'MEN'. Gary let out a breath. "Misty that's the—" He turned around at a strange sound. It came from the coat rack. He cautiously walked over, and crouched in the ground listening in. A light chirping was found. He felt a wave of relief smack him in the face as he pushed some coat's aside and found the baby pokemon soundly asleep between the fabrics.

Picking up Togepi in his arms he cradled it, as it chirped happily waking up from a rejuvenating nap. "_Pri_"

Gary walked to the men's room and found a red-faced Misty and some very-pissed off men, with probably a few cups of alcohol on them. Misty turned to see him, and the tough situation she was in was completely set aside as her eyes lay upon the pokemon on his arms, chirping for her mother. "Oh my god, Togepi!" She cried out in happiness and launched forward Gary, hugging and kissing Togepi several times.

Oblivious to the tension settled in between Gary and the thugs in the bathroom, waiting for an explanation, Misty talked quietly with her baby pokemon. One of the men, a tall, strong and bald guy with a noticeable short temper eyed him disrespectfully. "Why don't you teach your girlfriend how to read next time, kid"

Misty turned around, ticked off. "What!" Gary's eyes widened and wrapped her arms around her, slowly backing away to the entrance. "You'll have to excuse her, she's a bit of a nut job". Misty struggled in his arms to get free and punch the guy that had implied she was illiterate. Gary smirked "Be still" He whispered in her ear as they exited the bathroom. She huffed and turned her face away, trying to hide the slight blush in her face.

"Let go" She ordered once they were out. Gary ceased the bear-hug grip on her and ran a hand through his hair, exhausted.

He walked towards the nearest table and slumped down on a seat. Misty did the same, in the seat across. Neither of them wanted to go back to the bar, so they sat in silent agreement. Misty looked up to face him. "Think you're ready to drive?"

Gary raised his eyes from the wooden table, but his sight was still a bit delayed. "I think we better sit for another half an hour" He said running a hand through his hair. Misty nodded. She wasn't going to start fighting again. They fell into a comfortable but tired silence again, and after some minutes, Misty half smiled. "Thanks for finding Togepi"

Gary shrugged. "I was just in the right place, right time"

Misty raised her eyebrow. Was Gary Oak being modest? The thought alone was too odd to ponder. So she soon dismissed it. "That reminds me, What are you doing in Pewter?"

"My grandpa gets invited to all these places. When he can't make it to some, he sends me. Ships some good ol' Oak blood somewhere." He smirked bitterly. "He always does"

She nodded, but there was one more thing nagging at her brain. She winced and let out a breath. "Do you always drink like this?" She blurted out.

Gary eyed her, his eyes wavering, studying her, calculating the approaches, trying to figure out why she was interested in that. "No." He replied.

"How do you hold your alcohol so well, then?" She asked smugly, traces of scepticism in her voice.

Gary smirked. "It's in the Oak blood. I have a track of heavy drinkers in the family"

Misty frowned. "Professor Oak…?"

Gary nodded. "Sober for 30 years now. The AA meeting is damn proud of him" He said mockingly. Misty took it in, nodding slowly. "Your parents…?"

Gary raised an intrigued eyebrow at her sudden urge to know about him. His eyes wavered. He wasn't the kind that opened up. "Never stopped. They were just so wealthy it didn't make them go broke. Drank during pregnancy as well"

She actually felt sorry for him, but it wasn't as if she was actually going to let it show. She doubted anyway he wanted any type of sympathy, especially from her. "Ah" She said. "That explains a lot of things" She said snickering evilly.

He smirked, getting the jab at him, but deciding not to reply. They maintained eye contact for a brief second, and broke it. "So what about you?" Gary asked. "I've spent a whole lot of time with you wasted, and you haven't said one embarrassing thing about yourself to hold over your head in the future"

She blushed, and he pretended not to notice, he also pretended he didn't actually feel happy he was having the same effect on her, that she was having on him. He was probably still tipsy anyway.

Misty tilted her head to one side. "What about…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm actually glad I ran into you"

It was his turn to skip a heartbeat. His smug facade almost faltered, but he managed to keep smirking. "Run _into_ me?" He said sarcastically. "Running into someone is spotting someone in the street, saying hi, and whatnot. You, Misty, did not run into me, you ran me _over_"

She laughed heartedly and waved it off, Togepi still cradled in her arms. She wasn't planning on letting go of her baby pokemon in quite some while. "Whatever. Thing is, that you caused me a whole lot of problems. But you're actually good company"

He tried to blame it on the scotch the fact that he was still speechless. Misty smiled and looked sheepish. "Embarrassing enough?"

His eyes flashed for an instant and turned just a shade darker. "It'll do" His gaze turned to the window and to his car parked outside. He reached out for the keys on his pocket and threw them on the table. "Okay, I'm good to drive, let's go. They must be worried about you"

Misty stood up and held Togepi tighter. "Believe me, I'm ready"

Keys in hand, they walked out and pretended not to notice the relieved face the bartender was wearing.

Gary chuckled, they were probably not allowed back there anymore

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Maia's Pen: You completely made me swoon over Gary in your egoshippy oneshot! Ah yes… The egoshippers are finally, slowly but somewhat surely returning to the fandom (I hope so, at least) Your fic has made my day, it was AWESOME! I'll be re reading it very soon, have no doubt. As for WYB It's so exciting it's climaxing. Can't wait for the next chappie evil cliffhanger mistress!

Magcat: Yes! Another egoshippy story, I'm so glad to see you again in this story. I'm glad you liked the first chapter, I hope you enjoy the second one!

DarkAngelTorchic: haha, The pajama dance! I have one too, I don't basically move my feet, but I do circular movements with my arms and move my hips--- Wait, why am I sharing this? XD. Got me. Thanks for the review!

Megs626: I have updated! Muahaha, Beware! Fluffy chapter ahead. Well not really. But one more chapter after this one and that's it! Wow, This fic will last so little!

Renyun: Woot! More than happy to hear it's interesting. I hope you come back!

Beyondlove: And so this is what happens! Yay! I hope all the characterizations aren't that similar, but not that different either. I'm glad to have your egoshippy reviews making my day!

Catstar91: Exciting? Haha. I doubt it, but I'm glad you like it! Reviews keep my belly happy. And Gary being a little tipsy sure is cute. Awww, I want a gary to myself. : )

**Author's Note:** YES! One more chapter and this is it! It's almost almost ready but next week is week of heeell, Lots of lots of homework, so expect an update a week from now or so.

Please review! They make me happy and all glowy.

Midnight Mist.

Egoshippers unite!


	3. The Jazz

**Author's note: **Dedicated to **Maia**. I know you've been having some trouble with your health, but I didn't catch that until after I reviewed your last chapter of WYB. Please be well, We'll be hoping for the best result possible!

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**Chapter 3: "The jazz"**

The fact that he was driving the slowest he could was so he wouldn't draw attention, in part. Also, Conversation with Misty appeared to be so fulfilling he was trying to make the drive as long as it was possible. The Pewter Gym was about half an hour away, at that rate, and he tried not to smirk whenever he got to a red light.

She was looking out the window. The silence was always short and it was filled with some other topic that came up. Misty smiled, as she saw the stores slide by her view. "And when she woke up, I was the first thing she saw, so she thinks I'm her mother. Ash had to give Togepi to me"

"And you've never trained it?"

"No! It's just a baby!" She replied.

Gary eyed the egg pokemon sleeping in her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You say you've had her for almost three years?"

Misty nodded and he smirked. "Yeah, It's not a baby anymore, it's just spoiled". Mentally trying to bite back a comment about spoiled eggs, he tilted his head. "And if you are going to train it, better start now, It's probably the best time for learning."

She eyed her pokemon lovingly. She decided to try to train her in self defence, but no more. After all, she never meant to battle with Togepi, it would break her heart to see her get hurt in any way, even if a pokemon center can make it all go away in instants. A thought lit up her mind and she raised her eyes from the sleeping pokemon. "Hey, you _are_ a good researcher".

Gary seemed taken aback, his eyes wavered and he chuckled. "Whatever you say, princess" Misty tried to appear offended. "What, are you telling me you're not?"

"Oh no, I am" He said smugly.

Misty laughed and tapped him lightly in the arm "_That's_ modesty, ladies and gentleman". Gary rolled his eyes. "Nothing ever pleases you, your majesty" he chuckled, huskily. They fell into silence once again. Misty frowned, reminiscing. There was something still bothering her. She tilted her head. "…why were you _there_?"

The enphasis on the word 'there' and the silence that followed made him know right away what she meant. But it didn't mean he wouldn't try to dodge it. Gary looked warily. "Told you, My grandp—"

"No" She interrupted. "I mean at the _bar_, you said you didn't drink".

_Busted_. He seemed to steal a glance at her, before returning his eyes to the road. It was only a glance, but it was like his eyes had glazed over, freezing. She froze in her seat with them, perplexed. He could have the most expressive eyes… _when_ he had his guard down, that is. He seemed to be calculating, weighting outcomes. She took him by surprise, she knew it, more than that; she liked it. She remained on looking at him, because she knew he felt her eyes piercing him, waiting for a reply.

"Well…" he cleared his throat. "These errands gramps sends me on? Hate 'em" He replied sharply. A wary silence followed, he knew she wasn't satisfied with the answer. "Most researchers just see me as the grandson of Samuel Oak. Never gonna climb up like that".

And suddenly she got it, she looked ahead. As a pokemon trainer, Gary Oak had all the reputation he could ever wish for. But as a researcher? He was Professor's Oak sheltered grandson and probably most of the rest saw him as someone who only got that far because of his grandfather, because of his last name, or money. As a researcher, Gary had to build up his reputation from scratch, something that was a given back in his trainer days. It must have been rough, especially at the beginning, and Professor Oak sending him on his behalf must've made it all just a little worse.

She nodded after a while. "You have some tough times ahead"

He smirked. He was thankful she didn't say anything cheesy like many others would, nothing among the lines of 'you can do it!', 'I believe in you', or 'hugging feels nice' or some other useless things people tended to say when they had nothing better to offer. She was trying her best to understand and was dangerously close to doing so and he admired that. "Yeah…" He replied, absently

"If you want me to kick some researcher ass, I will" She said smugly.

He laughed. "Now you're just looking some reasons to kick someone's ass"

Her eyes twinkled. "Shut up or I'll kick yours" She grinned.

He raised an eyebrow. "You can _try_". She laughed underneath her breath and he chuckled. Another moment of silence went by, but this time, it was longer. They were getting closer to the gym, and he couldn't drive any slower, or he would draw attention to himself just as well. He slumped his shoulders looking at her from the corner of his eyes. She was yawning and he couldn't blame her. It wasn't even that late, the night was still very young, but she was emotionally worn out, and he was starting to be, too.

At the distance, The pewter gym couldn't yet be seen, but the lights coming off of it like it was the red carpet at the Oscars shone up and stole the stars from the sky. The activity was picking up again, hoards of tourists were coming out of their hotels for the Pewter night life. Flashy cars, sparkly tops, the fluorescent signs that lips up everywhere rolling over the car's window almost made it seem like they were in some sort of movie, but there was a certain bitter feeling in both of them. Even if they had wanted to analyze it, no good conclusion would have come out of there. It was still far too early, and they were both too tired.

The Pewter gym emerged from the horizon. It was bathing in all the glory of being the only construction in that vast and empty block. All the lights were on, and even though that's no sign of mass alarm, it still showed something was keeping them up. "Looks like they're waiting for you".

Misty inwardly winced almost anticipating Brock's scolding. Even more now, that he was closer to his brothers, his parental instincts had kicked in even stronger than before. Ash must be worried as well, after all, he expected her to go back to the gym immediately.

"Seems like it" She said trying to disguise her worry. Gary half smirked seeing right through it.

Togepi, who was momentarily seated in the middle of them, chirped, and Misty raised him from the long car seat that went from her side to his and cradled him. She bit her lip in distress. She reeked of cigarette smoke and probably of booze, and everyone would just flip out and blurt out an entire interrogation for her. She sighed.

The car seemed t slow down even more as it reached the Gym. Gary pulled over and looked straight forward for a silent moment. "I owe you an apology" he stated.

Misty raised her eyebrow and shifted in her seat to see him better. Gary seemed sheepish. "You just caught me in a bad place. Won't happen again". He blurted out. "Sorry I got you into trouble"

Misty laughed. "Hey, it's not like you actually forced me into the men's room"

His eyes shifted, but he didn't reply. They remained like that for a minute waiting for someone to break the silence. But no one did. Misty snapped out of her trance. "I should go"

He nodded bitterly. "They must be worried sick".

Misty smiled sadly and shifted to the door, reached for the lever and pulled it. She frowned, she pulled it again. She checked to see if the door was unlocked, and it was, but the door wasn't budging.

Gary looked at her distress. "Sorry, that door's kinda stuck, you need to twist and—"

Misty kept on pulling the lever.

He rolled his eyes. "Here, let me do it" He slid over to Misty's side and reached for the door. However casual this must have been for him, she froze in her place, her whole body going rigid. It was probably the closest she had been to him, and she could feel his respiration tickle in her skin. Before even realising, she brushed her lips against his. It was merely that, gracing them over his, a kiss so soft it was barely even there, but it made Gary desist in his attempt to get the door to budge.

None of them said anything, but none of them needed too. Neither was overly surprised, but merely trying to take in what she had just done. He let go of the knob and backed away from her personal space, silently. He was still staring out the window, but she wasn't looking at him either, he could feel it.

Their eyes met and locked, but not for too long. Gary swayed forward and captured her lips. She kissed him back, positioning her hand in the back of his head. Passionate, fiery, hungry. They wrestled like that. He could taste the scotch in her mouth. He liked the taste, and she must have thought the same for him, because she was smiling into the kiss. They pulled away, gasping for air; their eyes were still locked, but showed more surprise than before.

_'Whoa…'_

Misty was about to say something, but the moment she opened her mouth to speak, the car door fell open, as if it were the over protective parent turning the porch light on and off at the daughter's date. They stared at the door fall open like some kind of omen and he grinned bitterly turning away.

After some cemetery silence, Misty looked back at him with regret. "Bye Gary"

He looked at her again. "Bye Misty" He said so under his breath she almost didn't pick it up. She nodded, once and got out of the car but didn't close the door. She turned back and leaned in. "I'll be seeing you" She said casually.

He winked at her. "You can bet on it, princess" She smiled and closed the door, turned around and walked away closing in on her doom. The Pewter gym. Gary watched her leave, and smirked, his eyes blistering. As she disappeared beyond the gym's door, he got the engine started again and took off.

After going through explanations, both Brock and Ash would probably hate him for getting her into dangerous situations. Ash and him weren't rivals anymore but that didn't mean they didn't still hate each other. And Misty… Misty would always be Misty. She was a girl he was starting to like having around, and he wasn't the kind of guy that gave up when things got tough.

Were things unresolved? Perhaps… maybe more than _just_ perhaps.

But they were far from over.

**_The end._******

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Maia's Pen: Waah, I read your review so many times my eyes actually hurt! It's so flattering when you like something I write. This IS a very quick fic. It's only natural with the very tight schedule I'm constantly working on. One shots and short fics are my way to go. I really look up to your WYB work. Because it's so long, and must be so hard to write! Kudos! And I hope you like this ending!

DarkAngelTorchic: gasp! You're going to write some egoshippy fluffness? PLEASE DO! We need more, seriously, I'd add it right away to the Egoshippy C2! It would be so cool! Thanks for the review, here's the last chappie, what do you think

Catstar91: Ah yes, awkward moments, aren't they a blast… when you're not an actual part of them. XD. This was it! I hope the ending works out fine for ya!

Rose Kitsune.EXE: hey there, welcome to my fic! XD Too bad it already ended. But thank you for the review, It's much appreciated!.

megs626: As quick as I can! Hehe, once a week is still pretty good, right? It's as fast as I can, since school really. Kills.

MagCat: Planned what on purpose XD? Oh well, I write it, I plan everything on purpose. Some things come out in the spur of the moment though, I won't lie. XD But mostly everything gets some thought before actually typing it.

ohhhJinxie: Teehee, love the penname. Wow! I'm flattered! But well, if anything, this is the reaaaal ending. I'm so happy you think my characters are just right! Even though I change my view or take on the characters with every story I write, I try to stay loyal to the basic concepts. Thanks!

Ori: Ah yes. Egoshippness was always in me, but I was never a real fan of pokemon the series. So I only kept reading some occasional fics. Maia's fic was among them, but when she stopped updating, made my fanfiction fix almost null. I did a good deed? Yay! Me happy! I hope you read this chapter!

**To everyone:** THIS is the last chapter! There will be no epilogue. Since I don't think it needs one like Pumpkin Fights kinda did, and the open ending gives it a special something. Am I not making sense? Oh well, I must be too tired to make sense now. XD

Thanks to everyone who have read this far, I really hope you liked it, any sort of review is welcome!

Signing out,

_Midnight__ Mist_


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